By Job Osazuwa
Everything about Duke Igbinedion exudes imagination, artistry and ingenuity. One could describe him as a workaholic, restless and adventurous artist who is passionate about what he does. 
“Even when I close my eyes to sleep, all I see is work and more work as well as endless opportunities in the cloud. If it was possible, I would take a camera along into my sleep to capture everything that I see and develop them when I wake up,” he said.
In an interview with Daily Sun in Lagos, it was crystal clear that, despite being 66 years old, the Benin, Edo State-based consummate sculptor, painter and motivational communicator is not ready to hang up his boots. For the games inventor and manufacturer, there are so many undiscovered innovations that could positively impact humanity and pave the way for economic growth.
Only a few people might be aware that Igbinedion created the 50-foot high sculptural work (“The Mandate”) at the Ceremonial Plaza of the National Assembly, Abuja, which he achieved in 1999. But he said that he never had the time to talk about his work due to the urge to execute the next project.
In fact, he confessed to the reporter that his adventurous mind would not let him rest until he has tried his hands on something new every period of his life. Even when he sometimes fails, he detests calling it a failure, arguing that there must be a positive perspective to the unsuccessful quest. He said that discouragement and obstacles bring out the best in him.
He is also the brain behind Qwivas Game. The game is a completely new invention that has found its way into the lives of many sports lovers in Edo State and other states in the South-South.
Igbinedion stated that Qwivas, which was played first at Emotan College, Benin, was borne out of a desire to contribute something new and unique to the world of sports. He explained that he needed to invent something that would be 100 per cent Nigerian-made. He believes that such a game would give the people a sense of ownership, leading to more acceptance and appreciation.
He explained that the game was packed with action that elicits creativity, mobility, great excitement and entertainment. He said that it was already approved by the learned and the noble and certified as being capable of improving intelligence.
“The game is played with the rhombo (ball) and played on canvas (pitch). Rhombo is the most dynamic game instrument in the world, a game that pierces the long-known games and sets its own marks. It is a game that is played with the precision of divinity, the aero-dynamism of the eagle and the aggression of the lion.
“It elicits boldness, agility and the spirit of a conqueror. It is a game from the ancient city of Benin, the cradle of black civilization, a game for Nigeria, Africa and the world,” he said.
According to Igbinedion, Qwivas is a nine-person versus nine-person fast-paced game. The rhombo is blonged (thrown) through a forte (goal post) to score a qwivoo (goal). The qwivandos (players of the game) with palos (goalkeepers) are arranged in three rows. They are the philosofas (eagles), stallions (horses) and the basers (lions), with the pero as the central umpire.
He further explained: “The rhombo is to be manoeuvred by the players by dribbling their opponents. You blonge and pad the rhombo. We have the far echelon and the middle. It is a game with its language. I took my time to develop the language. The game has its rules that developed too.
“The game is meant for everyone that is vibrant because it is an energetic sport. The younger generation are better fit to play it, but those who are up to 60 years can play it as well; the speed will not certainly be the same.
“Some of the benefits of the game are that it is a means of exercising the body and has a great potential for economic development.”
Igbinedion said the game has the potential to change the face of sports, sporting activities and how Nigeria, Africa and, indeed, the world is entertained. In his words, if the game of Qwivas is encouraged by government and all stakeholders, it would become the third most interesting game in the world after football and basketball.
“Also, we can use rhombo to play more than 20 different games such as rhombo relay and rhombolism, which is meant for one person or two players.
“The unique selling points of the game include, but are not limited to, popular appeal to both males and females, loved and played mostly by the youths who form the majority in the age bracket segments,” he added.
As he spoke, it was evident that the concept, design and rules of the game were all exclusive to him. He is confident of its potential to alter the universal sporting firmament.
“I asked myself, why is it that all the games are invented by the western world, the advanced nations? We have not seen any game that originated from Africa to be accepted globally. Then I said that I must do something in my own time. And you need to see the excitement and enthusiasm among the students when the game was adopted for an inter-house sports competition years ago in Benin.
“Don’t touch the rhombo if you don’t want to fall in love with the game. It is a game where both the fans and players bear the same name: qwivandos. This is so because everybody is part of the game due to the excitement embedded in it,” he said.
He told Daily Sun that the game has been tested at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and certified okay in every standard. Other notable secondary schools where it has been introduced include Government College, Ughelli, in Delta State, Edo College, Western Boys High School, Itohan Grammar School, Adesuwa Grammar School, Eghosa Grammar School, Niger College, Emotan College and Idia College, all in the city of Benin, Edo State. The game was also tested at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.
Igbinedion said: “I also invented and built Mobile Quantum Stadium that over 100 games can be played on. It is a sizeable stadium that can be dismantled and manipulated to suit a particular game. It is also a platform for game invention itself. The development and more discoveries are still on because more ideas keep coming in.
“It provides an alternative for sporting, especially for organisations and entities, including private schools, hotels, gymnasium and private residences that have space constraints but can still enjoy the same privileges as it has ample space.
“Schools that don’t have space for sporting activities need it more. It is meant to address the yearnings for sports where facilities cannot be easily addressed. It allows the individuals to mount their own stadium and take ownership of it.
“If we must play games in Africa, we must invent, develop and manufacture the games equipment. We must train personnel, and then export it to the western world. This is the time when we must seek ways of transforming Nigeria.”
He called on corporate organisations to partner with him to take Qwivas out of obscurity into the limelight, where it will achieve national and international recognition, which he promised would yield unquantifiable return on investment for any organisation that invests in the game. He pleaded with all sports lovers to support indigenous games to unite the country.
The inventor’s vision is that one day there will be a festival of all games invented in Nigeria, where all states would come forward with their inventions.
“There should be a competition. I want everyone to be conscious of what is lying untapped in areas of games invention. We should be proud of something we can call our own,” he said.
When asked how he gets inspirations for his inventions, he said: “I am a fan of the cloud. The cloud has so many stories pointing to endless opportunities. I feel disturbed every time I see what we are losing as a nation.
“I have been on these games’ manufacturing in the last 14 years. It takes time, energy and money. As a sculptor, I constructed most of the things there. I purchased a sewing machine to fix the rhombo. In fact, I have spent my life on it. We are using it as a statement that we can do it as Nigerians.
“I want the government, starting with Edo State, to provide the needed financial and logistic support for the game. Encouragement is very necessary so that other would-be inventors can be attracted. I want the game to be adopted by the National Sports Festival.”
Igbinedion stated that he was into imparting the knowledge of art in the younger generation so that they could continue the race from where he stops.
But he expressed disappointment over how the youths of today were so impatient and desperate to become rich.
On how people around Igbinedion view him when he comes out with inventions from the blues, he burst into laughter. He said people, including his relatives, have tagged him a mentally-deranged person.
“Well, that is our world as artists. There was a time my close relatives came to my house to check what was really wrong with me. After they left, some of them expressed shock that I was not talking out of point,” he said.